Lewis Hamilton's promising performance underlines Formula One power shift as
Mercedes star records fastest time in first practice session

It is a sign of how the pecking order in Formula One has changed in a matter of months that both Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel cut relieved figures after the first day of the season yesterday.

For Hamilton, it was relief at finishing the day fastest after a disastrous morning in which he broke down on his first lap, while for Vettel it was relief at being able to run at all.

The Briton, who heads into a season full of regulation changes as the favourite, must have feared the worst when his car stopped on track five minutes into the first practice session of the year.

Vettel, the champion of the last four years, also began the day with his overalls tied round his waist, standing on the pit wall, with his Red Bull team desperate to catch up after a torrid pre-season.

But after missing the entire first session, Hamilton ended the day fastest ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg – an ominous indication of the advantage they are thought to hold over the rest of the field.

“I felt very comfortable out there,” said Hamilton. “I felt I had a good understanding of what was going on. I feel quite comfortable in the car, so overall it’s a positive start, but we need to look at the data now and understand where we are.”

Vettel finished fourth, completing 41 laps in the second session, a remarkable turnaround given how far behind Red Bull appeared at the final test less than two weeks ago in Bahrain. His team-mate also managed to complete the team’s first full race distance of the year across the two sessions.

“It was very good,” said Vettel of Red Bull’s day. “It is a big relief, a lot of work went into this. In terms of speed we know there is a lot more to come but so far it feels very good.”

His 29-year-old rival Hamilton, who has spent the past four years chasing Red Bull, said he felt “positive” after a topsy-turvy first day.

Hamilton has defended himself this week against claims that he lacks the mental capacity to win in a formula which requires a more adroit approach, but his former team-mate Jenson Button believes the 2008 world champion is well placed to challenge this season.

“He seems like he’s in a good place – he seems happy,” said Button. “Lewis still picks up things. When we were team-mates he was amazingly quick. But he would also learn very quickly if he found I was doing something that he wasn’t.”

Rather than who is at the front, practice gave a much clearer indication of who is likely to struggle at Albert Park in tomorrow’s race.

Lotus are in a particularly sorry state. Pastor Maldonado limped back to the pits after an out-lap in which smoke came into the cockpit, and an excursion into the gravel at relatively slow speed.

Caterham, another Renault team, also suffered an awful day. Both rookie Marcus Ericsson and Kamui Kobayashi did not complete a timed lap in either session.

Most drivers spent the day focusing on set-up and mastering fuel economy, which is of crucial importance this year.

Nico Rosberg, tipped as one of the favourites to embrace the new ‘thinking formula’, was keen to be informed at every opportunity how frugally his Mercedes was using its fuel.

As ever in Formula One, when a factor in the racing rises in importance, so too does the politicking which surrounds it. Luca Di Montezemolo, Ferrari’s president, warned the FIA to be “vigilant” of any “trickery” on the teams’ part.